The Fortune of Killian Jones
by TheThirdStar
Summary: Hook had saved Henry. He had saved all of them, really. But not without shoving his heart into Pan in idiotic fit of self-sacrifice and his unconscious body mysteriously refusing to take the heart back. Now Emma will have to enter Hook's mind and memories in order to convince him that he has something more to live for, even if that means facing the darkness of his past alone.


"I'm doing it," Emma said quietly, though it sounded like it could've been a shout for all the silence that rang in the living room of Mary-Margaret's apartment.

"Emma…" Snow's voice broke like the winter's ice, "it's too…"

"Too _what_?" Emma spun on her heel, feeling the bitter, helpless anger that she had pushed down since they had beaten Pan rise up again.

"It's too dangerous, Emma!" Snow's brows furrowed with determination like they always did when she was fighting for her family, "we… we just got back. Together."

"What was _dangerous_, was Hook using his own goddamn heart to save us!" Emma pointed a shaking finger at where the pirate was laying on the couch, a peaceful, _horrible_ stillness resting on his limbs like a blanket.

"I'll do it then," David walked over to his wife, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"_No_," Emma and Snow snapped in unison, their glares moving from each other to David.

"A truly noble gesture, prince," Regina sighed from where she was leaning against the wall, "but Miss Swan is right. This spell requires some magical aptitude, and as much as it pains me to say, you severely lack."

"But you said that you could—" Emma's eyes widened as she glanced over towards the queen.

"I _said_ I would be able to send you in, but to enter another person's mind…" Regina trailed off, her brown eyes shifting over to Hook's motionless form, "even if everything goes perfectly, you will still have to navigate his thoughts and memories to where his consciousness is. It will take immense will and power not to let the lines between you become blurred."

"And you think I have enough?" Emma's fist clenched.

"I think you have the will, Miss Swan," Regina's brows furrowed, "but it is extremely complex and dangerous magic. You will be at the mercy of his mind, which I doubt I need to remind you all isn't the most… stable."

"I… I can't just leave him like this, not after all he's done for us," Emma's said almost pleadingly to Regina. If anyone owed Hook as much as her, it was Regina. He'd saved Henry after all.

"I know," the queen sighed, bringing a manicured hand up to her forehead, "but I can't promise that this will even work. He doesn't want it back. I've never seen anyone's body reject it's own heart before."

Emma's hand went unconsciously to the satchel that rested against her hip, making sure that its precious contents were sill there. She felt the heart pulse once, twice. Emma clenched her eyes shut; wishing that just _once_ something hadn't go horribly wrong.

"What will I have to do?"

"I can't be sure—" Regina began before Snow cut her off.

"What do you mean you can't be _sure_?" Her green eyes glinted furiously as she a stepped forward.

"Well, I haven't exactly had cause to do this spell before," Regina snapped back, red lips pulled back to reveal her bared teeth, "I don't make a habit of associating with fool pirates."

"I'm _not_ letting my daughter go—"

"Enough."

David stepped between them quickly, but his eyes didn't leave Emma. She couldn't help but feel like her father was looking for something in her face. She stared back determinedly. She and David understood each other. Snow would never back down if she thought her daughter was in danger, but David… David knew that sometimes truly protecting someone meant letting them fight for what was important, even if they got hurt.

"She's going, Snow," David pulled his wife into his arms, "we can't stop her."

"I _know_ that, Charming," Emma could see her mother's fists tightening on David's jacket, "but we _just_ got our family back."

"We have Hook to thank for that."

Snow's head lifted to look at David, "And for your life as well, I just… I just want us to be together so _badly_."

"Hey," David pressed a kiss to her forehead, then glanced up to give Emma a slight smile, "what's the family motto?"

Snow smiled grudgingly, "we'll always find each other."

"That's right. Emma will wake the pirate up, I'll punch him in the face for being an idiot, and everything will be back to normal."

"Look, Mary-Mar… _Mom_," Emma felt her fists clenching and un-clenching, wishing not for the first time in her life that she had any skill whatsoever in consoling people.

Her lips quirked into an awkward smile, "I'll be fine, okay? I'm sure I can handle a few of Hook's memories. It'll probably just some be some sea shanties, rum, and buried treasure."

Emma felt her stomach clench uncomfortably. She really had no idea in hell how to even conceptualize going into someone else's _mind_, let alone shifting through their memories or whatever. What she did know is that she had to try, whatever that entailed, no matter how much darkness she knew to lurk in the corners of his thoughts. She owed Hook that much.

Snow unhooked an arm from David's waist and pulled Emma into their hug.

"As enjoyable as this family boding session is," she heard Regina mutter sarcastically, "we have work to do. I believe the longer Hook is without his heart, the harder it will be to put it back."

Emma pulled away from her parents, "what do I need to do?"

"You," Regina pointed to Emma, "need to find a way to center your thoughts as much as possible, it will help you adapt if you're calm and focused."

"And the Charmings," she fixed Snow and David with a sickly sweet smile, "are going to come with me to Gold's. I need supplies if we're going to do this."

Emma watched as they hurried out of Snow's apartment and didn't move until they left. She turned slowly to look over at the couches she had sat upon so many nights before, sharing hot cocoa with Mary-Margaret and Ruby, trading stories and laughter. Now all she felt was a growing sense of unease.

As she passed Henry's unconscious form on the opposite couch, she brushed his hair out of his face gently before she came to stop in front of Hook. He looked so peaceful, almost as if he was asleep… So unlike the final moment she had seen him conscious.

_Emma spat the blood that had been pooling in her mouth onto the dirt before shooting a red snarl at Pan's amused face. Her eyes snapped to Henry's form on the opposite end of the cave. _

_Her son's body was raised in the air, Pan's unearthly green magic encasing him in some sort of bubble, his face blank like he was sleeping. _

_She had to get to him. She had to _save_ her son. _

"_You can't win, you know." Pan drawled, his words slipping from his tongue like a lazy summer stream. _

"_You bet your ass I'm going to win," Emma spat out more blood as she stood on her shaky legs. _

"_Really?" Pan's brows raised in amusement, "you're the only one still left fighting, Savior. Impressive, but not nearly good enough to beat me."_

_Emma tore her eyes away from Henry to glance at her companions. As soon as they'd run into the giant cavern, Pan had released a wave of magic so powerful it had slammed them all into the walls. Regina, was laying face down in the dirt next to Neal. Snow and Charming were leaning boneless on the wall. She raised the hand that wasn't holding her cutlass to her ribs, wincing as she pushed in lightly. _

"_It was a well-timed barrier, but," Pan looked at her like one might look at an ant about to be squashed, "something tells me that was just bit of luck." _

"_I don't need magic to beat you," Emma sneered at him despite the panic she felt clawing its icy way up throat. _

_Pan let out short laugh, "of course you do. Though if its any consolation, once I take Henry's heart, it wouldn't have made a difference even if you _could_ control it._"

_Emma had been about to charge him when she saw a familiar, black form slipping through one of the giant holes that made the eyes of Skull Rock. Her own widened as the figure landed without sound on the dirt and turned his face. She knew those bright blue eyes. Her mouth almost fell open in shock, but Hook quickly put a finger up to his lips. He pointed to himself, then to Pan's back and Emma understood what he wanted to do._

_That stupid, idiotic, _brilliant_ pirate. She should have known he wouldn't wait quietly at camp while they went to face Pan. _

"_I won't let you take his heart," Emma said quickly, her own hammering in her chest, knowing she had to distract Pan long enough for Hook to get close enough._

"_You won't _let_ me? What made you think that you had any say at all?" Pan crossed his arms, an infuriating grin spreading across his face. _

"_I'll give you this one chance to let him go, Pan. You can back away now or I swear to god I will come at you will every _ounce_ of magic I have in my body." _

_Emma was bluffing and she knew Pan knew she was bluffing. But she didn't need to be able to back her words up, not so long as Hook succeeded. _

"_You know, I do like you Savior. You are a spirited. Foolish, but spirited. It's a shame I have to kill you." _

"_Not if I kill you _first_, demon," Hook snarled as he thrust his sword into Pan's chest from behind. _

_Emma felt her heart clench painfully as she watched Pan's face. He didn't look scared or hurt, simply bored. The boy let out an irritated sigh as he turned slowly to face Hook. The pirate took a step back, placing himself between Pan and Henry, raising his hook in defense. _

"_I'm disappointed in you, Killian," Pan waved his hand, the blade suddenly materialized in his opposite fist, "I never thought you were _this_ stupid."_

_Hook widened his stance as a crooked grin spread on his face, though Emma could see in his eyes he was not nearly so confident as he sounded. _

"_Well, you know me, I do so hate being predictable." _

_Pan raised the sword so it was barely an inch away from Hook's throat. "I should have killed you long ago." _

_Hook took another step back as a slightly panicked laugh escaped him, "you'd be surprised how often I hear that. Or," his eyes flicked to the glinting edge of the sword, "perhaps you wouldn't."_

"_I really wouldn't." Pan pulled the sword back to strike. _

"_Hook!" Emma shouted as she started to run forward. _

_She saw his eyes shift from the sword to her, and for the briefest moment he smiled. _

_The blade stopped suddenly as Pan eyes followed the pirate's gaze to Emma, a wicked sneer spread across his face. _

"_You know what, I think killing you so simply might be a bit too easy. After all you have been so patient, waiting three_ hundred_ years to find someone to love."_

"_Don't you dare hurt her," Hook snarled._

"_Oh, I'll deal with her soon enough," Pan lowered the sword, "it's you who I think deserves something a bit more ceremonious than the edge of a sword. Wouldn't it be a lovely homage to your Milah if you lost your heart too?"_

_Pan reached his free hand up to rest against Hook's chest, where he heart lay beating beneath it. The boy stepped forward until they were almost touching and he leaned in to whisper into Hook's ear. _

"_You really don't deserve it after everything you've done, do you? All that blood spilt for a woman whose memory you've thrown aside for _her,_" Pan glanced back at Emma. _

"_If you're going to do, then _do_ it," Hook said through clenched teeth and all Emma saw in his blue eyes was a mixture of fear and hatred. _

"_It would be my _pleasure_," Pan shoved his hand into Hook's chest as the pirate let out a pained gasp. _

"_Hook!" Emma called out again, running towards them. Dread flooding out any coherent thought in her mind. _

"_Ah, ah," Pan tutted and raised his other hand towards her. Emma was only a few feet from them when she felt something invisible and hard start to close around her throat, lifting her feet up a few inches off the ground. _

"_Can't have you ruining my fun yet, Savior. Wouldn't it be so deliciously tragic if you watched your pirate die the same way he watched his _true_ love get taken from him?" _

_Emma tried to pry off whatever it was that was slowly crushing her neck. _

"_Let her go, Pan," Hook gasped between pained breaths, "do what you want with me, just let her _go."

"_How very sweet, did you hear that Emma?" Pan batted his eyes at her, "he'd _let_ me do whatever I wanted so long as you go free. Such a shame to have to put an end to this budding romance just as it's beginning. Awfully tragic." _

_Emma started to see black spots entering her vision as her limbs grew weak. She couldn't… She couldn't think…_

"_Pan, _please_…" Hook choked out, "you don't have to do this, she's—"_

"_I don't _have_ to do anything, Killian," Pan yanked his fist out of the pirate's chest and Hook collapsed in a heap on the ground, "that's what having true power means." _

_Emma saw the Pan examine the heart in his hand, a look of disgust flitting across his face. She thought she could see marks in the beating mass, lines criss-crossing the surface like a the shards of a broken mirror. _

"_Would you look at that?" One of Pan's brows rose, "it really _was_ starting to heal." _

_She saw his fist clench as Hook let out a grunt of pain through clenched teeth. She saw the Pan's fingers dig into Hook's heart and could swear she heard something start to tear. As the sound buried deep in her ears, Emma felt burning, white-hot rage start to fill her. _

_It wasn't fair. Pan was _not_ going to win. He wasn't going to take Henry from her, he wasn't going to take Hook either. They were all going to leave this goddamn island alive and well and there was _nothing_ that spoiled little brat was going to do to stop her. _

_Emma felt something burst out of her. It felt like fire and looked like lightening as it struck Pan in the chest. The boy let out a yell of surprise and curled in on himself in pain, dropping Hook's heart to the ground. _

_Emma fell to the dirt and took in deep, gasping breaths of air as she shuddered, her shaking fingers going up to her neck. _

"_You _bitch_," Pan snarled, looking up at her with eyes full of rage. "I think I'll kill you _first_." _

_The boy stood up straight, rolling his shoulders before stalking over to where Emma knelt still panting on the ground. She felt his fingers grip her hair and pull her roughly to her feet. _

"_I'm going to enjoy this," he sneered, as a dagger materialized in his hand. _

_Emma felt like time was grinding to a very unpleasant halt. This… this wasn't exactly how she imagined she was going to die. Alone and unloved? Sure. Old and unwanted? Absolutely. But not at the hands of Peter fucking Pan in goddamn fairyland. Although… she supposed it hadn't been all bad. Not really. _

_These last two years, meeting Henry and her parents and all the weird shit that came along with Storybrooke… well, they'd been the best years of her life. She had finally felt loved… uncomfortable, sometimes, but _loved_. If she had to go, then… at least it was because she was trying to protect those who had given her everything she'd ever had worth owning. _

_Her eyes shifted to Henry who had collapsed on the floor when her magic had hit Pan. He looked… peaceful, now that Pan's magic was no longer around him. She only wished she could've done more, seen more, been there for more of his life. _

_Something shifted on the ground that caught Emma's eye. She saw Hook grab his heart as he shoved himself up on his arm. His eyes moved slowly up until they met hers, widening in horror as the dagger started to move towards her. _

"_Emma!" Hook let out a strangled yell, as something brilliantly golden suddenly pulsed from his hand. Hook's eyes snapped down to his heart, and for a moment it seemed to blind him._

_Then time seemed to speed up again and he was instantly on his feet. _

_She clenched her teeth, waiting for the sharp steel to tear through her flesh but it never came. Instead she saw the pirate shove that golden light deep into Pan's chest with a furious yell. _

_The boy's grip slackened in her hair and Pan stumbled forward his hands reaching up to his chest, Hook crumpling in a heap to the ground. Pan pulled back his shirt and right at the center there was a glow. For a moment everything was still and then Emma heard something start to crack. The flesh on Pan's chest was splitting as golden light started to shine through. _

"_What—" he gasped, furious eyes glancing up to Emma as the cracks started to go up his neck, the skin burning away, "What… What is this—" _

_Emma gripped her sword in her hands and for a second it all made sense. _

"_Love," she snarled, pulling the blade back and feeling every ounce of power within her ignite, "it's _love,_ you cold hearted bastard." _

_Emma plunged the sword in with a yell and all at once everything exploded in a blast of heat and noise. Power and energy and wind whipped up around her as the shimmering magic from her sword merged with the golden light in his chest. _

_She saw Pan's mouth open in a terrible scream but she couldn't hear anything save for the roaring blaze in her ears. Pan's whole body lit up like a dying star and Emma had to shield her eyes from the brightness and then another wave of magic so powerful burst from him that Emma was knocked back onto the ground. _

_Then there was nothing but silence and darkness. Emma blinked a few times trying to clear her eyes. She sat up slowly feeling dazed and dizzy. _

"_What the hell…" Emma muttered as she raised a shaking hand to her pounding head, her eyes going to where Pan had been a moment ago. There was no body left, nothing more than that metal box Neal had given Gold and a heart. _Hook's _heart. _

_Emma scrambled up and ran to where the pirate was lying, hoping that the blast hadn't hurt him. She stumbled a few times, grey spots dotting her vision, and practically fell at his side before rolling him over onto his back._

"_Hook!" she shook him roughly, "Hook, are you alright?"_

_When he didn't answer, Emma felt something twist deep in her stomach. He couldn't be… _

"_Hook, I swear to god if you are just faking for attention I will _actually _kill you." _

_Silence. _

_Emma put a hand to his mouth and as a small puff of breath ghosted over her skin she felt a wash of relief run through her._

_He was _alive_. _

"_C'mon," Emma slapped his face lightly, "_c'mon, _wake up you idiot."_

_Nothing, not even a twitch. _

_Emma twisted around and grabbed his heart from the dirt, taking a moment to brush it off lightly. If she was going to shove it back in… well, it seemed rude not to clean it first. As soon as her fingers touched it, she felt a pulse of warmth greet her them and a brief flash of that gold light through the latticed marks that lined it._

_Huh._

_It seemed… It seemed like it _knew_ who she was. _

_Emma shook her head briefly, trying not to think too hard about the fact that she was quite _literally_ holding his heart in her hand; it was really just too weird. She put it gently on his chest and tried to remember what sort of technique Regina had used. But the more she thought on it, the more she realized that those in the business of ripping hearts weren't too often concerned about putting them _back_. _

_Emma supposed she would just have to… shove. Or something. _

_God this was really, _really_ weird. _

_She put his heart on his chest and shut her eyes with a deep breath, gave it a push. _

_She instant she realized that the heart wasn't sliding in; Emma immediately stopped putting pressure on it. Something about those cracks made her afraid that too much pressure would shatter it. _

_Panic started to pool in her stomach like a mess of writhing snakes._

"_Hook…" Emma pleaded as she tried to put it in again to no better success, his face as blank as it had been. _

"Damn_ it, Hook." Emma laid a light punch on his chest, "C'mon don't do this to me, not now…" _

_Silence._

"_Please, Hook," she hissed through clenched teeth, trying to fight the cold nausea curling inside her, "you've been following me since that fucking beanstalk, are you really going to give up _now_? Now that we've _won?_" _

_But it didn't feel like a victory, not now that the pirate was laying motionless on the ground with his heart beating outside his chest Emma gently picked it up and cupped it gently in her palms. _

"_What do I need to do?" She pleaded, closing her eyes, holding it close to her face. _

_Hook's heart beat steadily and for a moment while she spoke it felt brilliantly hot._

"_I don't know what that _means_, you idiot," Emma growled at it with bitter frustration, "I don't speak fucking heart, okay?" _

_She placed the heart back on his chest and tried to push it again and again, each time she failed making the wave of desperation in her build like some great monstrous thing that might drown her mind and soul. _

"_You said you were going to _fight_, Hook!" Emma bit down on her tongue, relishing in the distraction of the pain, "you said – you said you were going to fight for…"_

_She let out a snarl of frustration and slammed her fist down on his chest with all her might. Nothing. The air around her was starting to feel impossibly thick and taking the next breath was like a battle in itself. How could she have thought they would all make it out of this alive and well? How had she been so naive _again_ when the one thing Emma Swan knew better than anything else was that people always left her in the end. _

"_Emma?" a voice groaned from behind her. _

"_Regina!" she felt hope flare within her._

"_What… what happened?" the queen wiped away the trail of blood that was leaking from her forehead._

"_Pan's gone, it's over. But Hook he—" Emma's eyes darted back to the heart, "I need help, Regina, please…"_

_The queen looked at her for a moment and then down to where Hook was lying, her eyes going wide as her brown eyes moved from Hook's face to his chest. _

"_Is that…?"_

"_Yes! I—" Emma spluttered sounding as helpless as she felt. "I tried to put it back but I… I can't do it; I'm not powerful enough. You have to try, Regina, he… he saved Henry. He saved all of us." _

_Of course she wasn't powerful enough. When had weak little Emma Swan ever been strong enough to protect the ones she cared about? What _use_ was all this magic if it couldn't bring Hook back?_

_Regina's gaze flicked between Henry's sleeping form and the pirate before she nodded shortly. Emma scrambled aside to make room for Regina to do her work, her hands flexing with nervous energy. _

_The queen crouched down and grasped Hook's heart in her hand but it didn't give out that faint gold glow that it had when Emma finger's had touched it. Regina's purple magic swelled around her hand as she closed her eyes in concentration and pushed. _

_Nothing. _

"_Regina…?" Emma's gaze was stuck on the heart beating in the queen's hand, "Why isn't—" _

"_Shut up, I'm trying to concentrate," Regina snapped, her brows furrowing as she pushed in again._

_Emma tried to keep her mind blank. She wouldn't panic. She would stay calm. He… he promised he was going to fight. He wouldn't leave her, not like everyone else did. _

"_It's… blocked." Regina muttered incredulously, "I don't understand, this has never happened to me before." _

"_Shit." Emma took a deep breath in and tried to ignore how shaky it sounded to her ears, "Shit. Shit. _Shit." 

"_What happened before he collapsed?" _

"_I don't even _know_, it was all so sudden…" Emma clutched at her pounding head. _

"_Well, try and remember. I can't fix anything if I don't know why it's broken." _

"_I… Okay," Emma took another deep breath and tried to think, "Pan ripped out his heart and I… I guess I used some sort of magic on him or something. He was going to stab me with this dagger but then Hook grabbed his heart and it started glowing gold, then he shoved it into Pan's chest, I stabbed the bastard with my magic and Hook just… collapsed I guess." _

"_I see…" Regina's gaze shifted back to the heart in her hand, "he really is a fool." _

"_What? What does that even mean? Can you fix him?" Emma reached out and grabbed the queen's arm and squeezed. _

_Regina pulled her arm out of Emma's grasp, leveling a glare on the other woman. "What he did… it's… it's very dangerous, Miss Swan. The transference of one's heart to another is forbidden."_

"_I'm not going to like why it's forbidden, am I?" Emma felt her stomach clench nervously. This was not going to be good. _

"_The heart is extremely powerful, I'm sure I don't need to tell you that," Regina nodded to the one in her hand, "the fact that he was able to incapacitate Pan without any magical training only through the force of his love is—" _

_Emma glanced away, feeling a light blush stain her cheeks. _

"_Oh, _please,"_ Regina sighed, "don't tell me you didn't _know_? Hook is many things, but subtle isn't one of them." _

"_I…" Emma _so_ did not want to deal with this right now, "that's not the _point_, Regina, what I need to know is if you can save him." _

"_Don't you see, Miss Swan, that is _exactly_ the point. The only reason Hook's heart is still intact is because your magic must have protected while it was in Pan's body. Transference with Pan should have corrupted it beyond recognition." _

"_Ah, yes there it is," Regina lifted the heart up in her palm and pointed to what looked like a small black cloud twisting and curling beneath the lined surface, "put out your hand." _

_Emma raised her palms and the queen dropped Hook's heart into her hands. _

"_Now watch."_

_As soon as the heart touched her skin, the faint gold glow began to shine from within, forcing the black cloud as far towards the edge as it could go. _

"_I believe Hook's body won't take back his heart because being inside Pan's body tainted it." _

"_So, it's like a… virus? And his body won't let it in because it's trying to protect itself?"  
_

"_No, not exactly," Regina shook her head, "I do not believe it's not as if there is some of Pan's essence in there, I think that being inside someone so full of hate forced all of the… painful parts of Hook's heart to resurface, so to speak." _

"_But why won't it go back in? Surely if he lived with it before…" Emma's eyes stayed transfixed on the gentle beating heart in her hands. _

"_Imagine if every single horrible thing that has every happened to you, suddenly felt like they were all happening at once," Regina let out a small sigh as she pointed to the shattered marks that lined Hook's heart, "look at the lines there."_

"_What do they mean?"_

"_It's heartbreak, Miss Swan, I don't need to have known the man to know he hasn't led an easy life. I believe his mind is rejecting the heart because…" _

"_He can't go through it all again," Emma swallowed heavily, "he would shatter." _

_Regina nodded, "Yes, it would be enough to break anyone."_

"_But why… why hasn't he woken up? People can live without their hearts." Emma's mind drifted back to Graham, but quickly shut it out. Nothing but pain lay down that road. _

"_There are… some people who cannot. Not that they'll die physically, but their hearts are so integral to how they think and live, that to be without it would be a rejection of everything they were as a person." _

"_And he's one of them?"_

"_It's rare. Very rare. But, yes, he must be." _

_Emma glanced up to see Regina staring at her with an odd expression on her face, "There's a way to fix him, isn't there?"_

"_There is a spell. I – I haven't exactly preformed it before and it is _very_ dangerous but I think it could work._

"_What is it?" Emma felt a small spark of hope well within her. _

"_The spell would alow someone to be sent into his mind. Into his memories."_

_Emma gazed at the queen with confusion, "how would that help?"_

"_Hook's mind is rejecting his heart. Someone needs to convince it to take the heart back, that it's _worth _taking it back, pain and all." _

"_Okay… but why is this spell so dangerous?" _

_Regina raised a brow, "Once you enter in someone's mind, your own is at their mercy. However, what is infinitely more dangerous is losing yourself entirely. The records I've read concerning such magics detail the users almost… _becoming_ the other person for a time before they were able to break free." _

"_Great," Emma gritted her teeth, "just abso-fucking-lutely fantastic." _

"_Your magic protected his heart, Miss Swan, you are connected."_

_Emma felt the heart warm a points her fingers were touching it. _

"_If… if this is something you want to attempt, I believe you would have the greatest chance of success." _

They had gotten everyone on the ship after Regina had inspected Henry, saying that his body was simply recovering from Pan's magic and he would be fine.

Now they were here. Back in Storybrooke, but Emma couldn't help but feel that she was leaving again. And this time she was going alone.

Except she would be _with_ Hook. It was just… well, she had known him a few months at most and in those months he hadn't exactly been the making wonderful memories. How many had he made before she met him? How long would it take her to find where his 'consciousness' or whatever was hiding.

God, it was awkward enough just trying to make friends with people, the last thing Emma wanted to do was know every single one of his darkest secrets. Not because… not because she didn't _care_, it just seemed unfair to take them from him without his permission, especially because whenever his past was brought up, Emma had seen Hook shut down with blinding speed.

Well, it was either invade his privacy or let him lay in a coma for the rest of his life. She just hoped he wouldn't be too pissed off when she got his heart back in him. If she got his heart back in him.

Emma heard the sound of the lock shifting and glanced up towards the door to see Regina and her parents walking back in, laden with what appeared to be every single trinket and weird spell-like ingredient in Gold's shop.

"Are you ready, Miss Swan?"

"As I'll ever be, I guess," Emma watched Regina start to pour several different liquids into bowls and light several very ominous looking candles.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Emma?" Snow came to stand in front of her daughter, taking Emma's hands in her own.

"Yeah…" Emma glanced down towards Hook's face, her resolve strengthening, "I am. I'm sure."

"Okay," Snow smiled and gave her a kiss on the brow, "we'll be right here when you wake up."

"If… if Henry wakes up before I'm back, tell him I love him, okay? And I'll be back soon."

"I will," Snow nodded, "he'll be proud of you."

Emma glanced up at Snow curiously.

"He admires people that fight for love."

"Oh, Mary-Margaret," Emma groaned, "not you too…"

Snow raised her hands in placation just as Regina called over to them, "bring the Pirate over here, he needs to be at the center of the circle."

David picked Hook up rather unceremoniously and for one brief moment of absurd hilarity, Emma wished she had a camera to capture Prince Charming carrying an unconscious Captain Hook in his arms.

David seemed to catch something in face, "shut up. Not a word to the pirate or I'll… ground you… or something."

Emma let out a nervous laugh as she followed her father to the chalk circle Regina had outlined on the wooden floor.

"Miss Swan, you'll have to lay beside him."

Emma clambered down until she was on her back facing the ceiling, trying not to let any of the nervousness in her stomach bubble higher. Calm. She needed to stay calm and centered.

"Put his heart in his hand," she heard Regina's voice from behind her and Emma reached into the satchel, pulling it out and placing it onto Hook's upturned palm.

"Good, now put your hand on top, do you feel the connection?"

Emma closed her eyes and concentrated. She felt something warm extending from her hand. It felt like her magic, in a way, but not as explosively powerful as she had experienced before. This time it was small but steady, like fingers reaching out to touch, to grasp the warmth that emanated from the heart beneath her hand.

"Yeah, I feel it."

"Alright, concentrate on that as hard as you can."

Emma furrowed her brows as she tried to reach out further.

"Miss Swan?"

"Yeah?" Emma replied absently, still trying to concentrate on the bond.

"Be careful."

"I will—" Emma felt the words die in her throat as her back arched off the ground.

It was like fire was welding her hand to his heart. A burning blaze ran up her arm and soon it felt like every single nerve in her body was made out of lightening, sharp and hot and powerful.

_Concentrate on who you are and what you must do._

_Concentrate!_

She could feel the connection between them pulse with each heartbeat as her thoughts were scalded from her brain.

All of them but one.

'I am Emma Swan and I am going to save Hook.'

'I am EmmaSwan and I am goingto save Hook.'

'I am _Emma Swan _and I am going to _save_—'

And then there was darkness.


End file.
